The moon
by Welly
Summary: Greg and nick get attacked. Will they be okay?


Title: The moon Author: Welly Fandom: CSI Pairings: Nick and Greg Spoilers: No Series/sequel: No Archive: Feel free Disclaimer: I own nothing. NOTHING Summary: Well, um, Nick and Greg go home. They get attacked. Greg gets really sick, will he survive?

A/N: It has been pointed out to my attention that I don't differentiate between scenes, so in this story, there's no need to differentiate, because I joined all the scenes together. It's meant to be like that. ()

BEGINNING

"Nick!" beamed Greg, going into the locker room. "I'm done. Let's get out of here"  
"About time!" said Nick, closing his locker.  
"Sorry," said Greg, getting his coat out of his locker. "I had some stuff to finish off. I don't like to leave stuff hanging, y'know"  
"Yeah," said Nick. "I know"  
"So let's go!" said Greg, zipping up his jacket.  
The two of them left the crime lab, and started walking back to Nick's house.  
"Don't you think it's weird?" said Greg.  
"What?" said Nick.  
"We work the night shift, but we never actually see the night. It's light when we get to work, and it's light when we leave, and that's weird. I haven't seen the moon in ages," said Greg.  
"You ought to get out of the lab more," said Nick, holding Greg's hand.  
"I like it in the lab," said Greg. "Now I've been there four years, it seems like home"  
"I guess," said Nick.  
"One day I might leave," said Greg. "I mean, it was nice when I was out in the field, I could probably do it all the time, but I think I might miss my lab"  
"You're really attached to that lab," said Nick.  
"I know," said Greg. "When you spend sixteen hours a day in one room, you kinda get to love it. I know how the lab works, how it behaves, where things belong"  
"Oh, don't get all feng shui on me," said Nick.  
"I'm not being feng shui," said Greg. "I just know my lab"  
"It's like an extension of you," said Nick.  
"Exactly," said Greg.  
"Loud music, quirky personality, great sense of humour," said Nick.  
"Don't forget how much alcohol it can take," added Greg.  
"What, the lab, or you"  
Greg giggled. "You're funny"  
"Thanks," said Nick. The two of them turned down a side alley, where most of the sun was blocked out. It was just after 8am, and the couple were looking forward to breakfast.  
"I'm going to cook you breakfast," said Greg.  
"What are you going to make me?" asked Nick.  
"A full english," said Greg.  
"A what"  
"You've never had a full english breakfast"  
"No," said Nick. "What's in it"  
"Everything," said Greg.  
"Everything?" said Nick.  
"Yup," beamed Greg. "It's got sausages, and bacon, and toast, and eggs, and so many other things"  
"Sounds good," said Nick.  
"It is," said Greg. "Especially when I cook it"  
"You're so modest," said Nick.  
Greg giggled again. "It's one of my better traits"  
"Oh, I can think of some traits I like more," said Nick.  
"Go on then," said Greg.  
"You want to know what I like about you?" asked Nick.  
"Yes," said Greg. "Tell me"  
"I like your personality," said Nick.  
"What about my personality?" asked Greg.  
"I like that you're always so cheerful," said Nick. "And always so happy, and full of enthusiasm. You're such a bubbly person, and I love that about you"  
Greg smiled. "That's so nice. Thank you"  
"Oooh, do me," said Nick.  
"Here?" said Greg, sounding confused.  
"No, tell me what you like about me," said Nick.  
"Um, y'know, I can't actually think of anything," laughed Greg.  
"Gee," said Nick, feigning hurt feelings.  
"Okay," said Greg. "I love the way you walk"  
"The way I walk?" said Greg.  
Greg nodded. "Yes. When you walk into a room, you just ooze such confidence and presence. You light the place up, and that's what I love about you"  
"You really think that?" said Nick.  
"Definitely," said Greg. "I wish I had the confidence that you do"  
"You have confidence," said Nick.  
"Sometimes," said Greg, looking at the four men walking towards them.  
"All the time," said Nick, quietly.  
Greg inhaled quickly.  
"What is it?" asked Nick, squeezing Greg's hand. "Babe"  
Greg stepped to the side of the alley, to let the four men past, and they went past the couple. Greg and Nick carried on walking. "What was all that about?" asked Nick.  
"Call it agrophobia," said Greg.  
"I didn't know you were agrophobic," said Nick.  
"It's not that bad," said Greg. "Just sometimes"  
"Oh Greg," said Nick.  
"I'm okay now," said Greg. "'Cause you're with me"  
Nick smiled, and kissed Greg on the cheek. Greg was suddenly snatched out of Nick's grasp by two of the men that had just walked past. They pinned him against the wall, and the other two men grabbed Nick. Nick tried to fight them off, but he couldn't. One of the men pinned Nick's arms behind his back, and the other one tied a gag round his mouth so he couldn't scream for help. Nick looked across at Greg, who was being assaulted. The man stood in front of Greg was kissing him. Greg turned his head to the side, to try and get away from the man, but the man just kissed Greg's neck. He unzipped Greg's jacket, undid his shirt, and kissed his chest and stomach. He knelt down, and undid Greg's jeans. Greg kicked the man in the chest, and went to run off, but the second man grabbed his shirt, and knocked him to the ground. Greg cried out in pain. The first man got up, and then they beat the life out of Greg. At first, Greg tried to fight back, but after several kicks to the head, he was unconscious. Nick struggled against the two men holding him, but he couldn't break free, and he was helpless to do anything to save Greg, he could only watch. The two men stopped beating Greg, and headed down the alley. The two men holding Nick took his gag off, and let him go. Nick rushed straight to Greg, and knelt down next to him. "Greg"  
Greg didn't move.  
"Baby? Wake up!" said Nick, pulling out his cell phone. He dialled 911, and waited for the line to connect.  
"911. What is your emergency"  
"I need an ambulance," said Nick. "Quickly"  
"Sir, what is your location"  
Nick told the operator where he and Greg were, and waited for the paramedics to arrive. A few minutes later, Nick heard sirens, and an ambulance pulled up at the end of the alley. Two paramedics jumped out, and ran over to Nick. "Sir, what happened here"  
"Um, he got beat up," said Nick.  
"I've got a pulse," said the other paramedic, two fingers on Greg's neck.  
"Did you find him?" asked the first paramedic.  
"I was with him," said Nick. "I tried to stop them"  
"Okay," said the paramedic. "Don't worry, we're going to take care of him now"  
"He's not breathing!" said the second paramedic, opening his kit.  
The first paramedic swore under his breath.  
"Oh my God!" said Nick.  
"Sir, can you step back?" asked the first paramedic. "Let us work"  
"Uh huh," said Nick, edging over to the side of the alley, sitting down, and resting his back against the wall. He sat there for a few minutes, watching the paramedics working on Greg. He watched the second paramedic 'bag' Greg, and he watched Greg's chest go up and down. Greg's breathing was something he'd seen numerous of times before, but this time he was really noticing it. Greg's chest went up, and came back down again. Nick knew that it was the paramedic making this happen, and that scared him. Greg should breathe by himself, he shouldn't need someone to do it for him. The first paramedic went back to the ambulance, and returned with a stretcher. Then Nick asked if he could ride in the ambulance with Greg, and the paramedics agreed. Greg was taken to desert palm hospital, and a whole team of doctors and nurses worked on him in a trauma room. Nick wasn't allowed to be in there with Greg, so he reluctantly let himself be taken to a family room. A nurse informed him that she would go and phone the police, and an hour later, two police officers turned up. "Hey"  
"Hey," said Nick.  
"You wanna tell us what happened"  
Nick gave his statement to the two police officers, and they left. Nick left the family room, he had to find Greg, see how he was. He found the nurse that had took him to the family room. "How's Greg"  
"He's just been taken to ICU," replied the nurse. "I was just coming to find you"  
"Uh huh," said Nick.  
"He's critical, but stable," said the nurse.  
"Am I allowed to go be with him?" asked Nick.  
"Of course," said the nurse. "ICU is on the fourth floor"  
"Thanks," said Nick. He found the stairs, and went up to the fourth floor of the hospital.  
"Can I help you?" asked a nurse.  
"I'm looking for a patient," said Nick. "Greg Sanders"  
"I'll get his doctor," said the nurse. "Hey! Yo! Andy"  
A man the same height as Nick came over. "Hi, I'm doctor Peterson"  
"Nick Stokes," said Nick. "How's Greg"  
"You family?" asked the doctor.  
"Partner," said Nick.  
"Right," said the doctor. "He's in a critical condition. I'll be honest with you. He's suffered extensive head injuries. He's got several cracked ribs, and some internal bleeding"  
"Is he going to be okay?" asked Nick.  
"Time will tell," said the doctor. "Right now, we've got him hooked up to a ventilator"  
"He's still not breathing?" said Nick.  
"Not yet," said the doctor. "But, things are stacked in his favour. He's young, he's fit, he should pull through. I'm not making any guarantees, you can never tell with these things, and the next 24 hours are going to be critical"  
"Can I sit with him?" asked Nick.  
"Of course," said the doctor. He opened the door to a side room, and stepped inside. Nick followed him in, and gasped when he saw Greg, lying in the bed, various wires and tubes attached to him. Nick saw Greg's chest, going up and down again. "I'll get you a chair," said the doctor.  
"Thank you," said Nick. He stepped over to Greg, and clasped his fingers around Greg's hand. He hoped Greg would squeeze his hand, like he normally did, but Greg didn't move. He lay perfectly still. The doctor came back into the room, and put the chair down for Nick to sit in. "You should talk to him"  
"You think he can hear me?" said Nick.  
"Definitely," said the doctor. "So don't go confessing anything you don't want him to know"  
"Uh huh," said Nick.  
"I'll be outside if you need me," said the doctor, pulling the door open.  
"Thank you," said Nick, sitting down. He picked up Greg's hand, and held it in his. "Hey Baby. I know you're really sick right now, but you're going to be okay, you hear me? I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you. I love you"  
Outside in the corridor, Grissom and Catherine were looking for another patient, a witness to the murder they were investigating. Grissom was staring at the patient list on the wall. He came to Greg's name. "Cath"  
"What?" asked Catherine.  
"Greg Sanders," said Grissom, pointing at the chart.  
"It can't be," said Catherine. "Our Greg Sanders"  
"Nurse," said Grissom. "Greg Sanders"  
"Yes, young bloke, got beaten half to death. His partner's with him right now. Poor guy," said the nurse.  
"Which room?" asked Catherine.  
"That one there," said the nurse.  
Grissom stepped over to the door, and peered through it. "Oh my God"  
"Gil?" said Catherine.  
"That's our Greg," said Grissom. "And Nick's with him." Grissom opened the door. "Nick"  
Nick looked up at Grissom. "Hey"  
"What the hell happened?" asked Grissom, stepping into the room. Catherine followed him inside.  
Nick burst into tears.  
"Oh Nicky," said Catherine, throwing her arms around Nick. "It's okay"  
"I'm sorry," said Nick, pulling away, and wiping his eyes.  
"It's okay," said Catherine.  
"What happened?" asked Grissom.  
"We were walking home," said Nick, "and we got jumped by four guys"  
"Are you okay?" asked Catherine.  
Nick nodded, and welled up again. "They didn't hurt me. They just pinned me to the wall, and made me watch what they did to Greg"  
"And they just beat him up?" said Catherine.  
Nick shook his head. "Can we do this outside? I don't want to upset Greg"  
"Of course," said Grissom, pulling the door open. The three CSIs stepped out into the corridor. "A guy pinned Greg to the wall, and was kissing him. He kissed Greg's face, and his neck, and then he undid Greg's shirt, and kissed his chest and his stomach. He undid Greg's jeans"  
Catherine swallowed hard.  
"-but Greg kicked him and tried to escape. The other guy caught him, and knocked him to the ground, and they started beating on him. They punched him, and they kicked him, they beat the life out of him, and then they just left," explained Nick.  
"They left?" said Grissom. "Just like that"  
Nick nodded. "I called an ambulance, and Greg was unconscious. He's been unconscious ever since. They don't know if he'll wake up"  
"Oh Nicky," said Catherine, putting her hand on Nick's shoulder.  
"Um, is it okay if I don't come into the lab tonight?" asked Nick. "I want to stay with Greg"  
"Of course," said Grissom. "Don't worry about work. You should be here with Greg"  
"Thanks," said Nick. He peered through the window at Greg, and pressed his fingertips against the glass. He rested his forehead against the glass as well, and Catherine put her hand on Nick's back. "He's a fighter"  
"I hope so," said Nick.  
23 hours later, and Nick had fallen asleep. A nurse woke him up, and told him to go home.  
"I want to stay," insisted Nick.  
"Then go and get some coffee," said the nurse. "The doctor's want to come and assess Greg"  
"Okay," said Nick. "I won't be long"  
"Be as long as you like," said the nurse. "We've got him"  
Nick stood up, and leant in to Greg. He ran his fingers down Greg's cheek. "I'll be back soon." He kissed Greg on the forehead. "I love you." He left the room, and returned half an hour later, to find that Greg wasn't hooked up to a ventilator anymore. He was breathing by himself again. Nick smiled, and spoke to one of the doctors. "He's breathing by himself"  
"Yes," nodded the doctor. "And that's a good sign. It means the brain damage isn't as bad as first thought"  
"So he's going to be okay?" asked Nick.  
"It's still not possible to say," said the doctor. "We won't know the extent of his brain trauma until he wakes up, but the fact that he's breathing by himself now is a good sign. We just have to hang in there"  
"Hang in there?" said Nick.  
"I'm afraid so," said the doctor.  
"Okay," said Nick. He went and sat with Greg again. He held Greg's hand against his face, to let him know that he was there, and a few hours later, he fell asleep. His head fell down onto the sheets next to Greg, and Greg's hand fell onto Nick's cheek.  
Greg opened his eyes, and closed them again. The light was too bright for him. Greg felt dizzy, he thought he was going to pass out again. It hurt when he breathed, he could tell he had some cracked ribs. Greg remembered what had happened to him. A little part of him thought that it could maybe be a dream, but that little part had just been stamped on. Greg felt something move under his hand. He opened his eyes again, and saw Nick. He was asleep. Greg smiled, and stroked Nick's face. Nick opened his eyes. "Greg! Baby, you're awake"  
Greg smiled, and opened his mouth to speak.  
"I'll go get the doctor," said Nick, standing up. Greg's hand fell onto the bed next to him. He was sad to see Nick walk away from him, but felt better when he came back a few seconds later.  
"Hi," said the doctor, approaching Greg. "Can you tell me your name, sir"  
"Greg," said Greg, giving the doctor a puzzled look. Surely Nick would have told them his name"  
"And what year is it?" asked the doctor, shining his torch in Greg's eyes.  
"2005," replied Greg, blinking.  
"Who's president?" asked the doctor.  
"Bush," said Greg.  
"And who's he?" asked the doctor, gesturing at Nick.  
Greg smiled. "That's Nick"  
"Right," said the doctor. "What do you do for a living"  
"I work in DNA," replied Greg.  
"And what does DNA stand for?" asked the doctor.  
"Deoxyribonucleic Acid"  
Nick smiled at Greg. Greg wanted to jump out of his hospital bed, and throw his arms around Nick, but a little part of him was telling him that this wasn't the best idea he'd ever had.  
"How long"  
"Two days," replied the doctor.  
"Oh," said Greg. "I, er"  
"Are you in any pain?" asked the doctor. "Now you're awake, you can tell us how you're feeling"  
"My chest is kinda sore," said Greg.  
"Where abouts?" asked the doctor, pressing down on Greg's ribs. "Here"  
Greg winced. "Yeh. There"  
"Well, we can up your pain meds slightly," said the doctor. "No problem. Now, I'm going to leave, and I want you two get some sleep"  
"But haven't I been unconscious for the past two days?" said Greg.  
"Yes," said the doctor. "But I still want you to sleep"  
"Okay," said Greg. "Can Nick stay"  
"Of course," said the doctor. "As long as you rest"  
"Uh huh," said Greg, looking at Nick.  
The doctor left the room. Nick sat down next to Greg, and picked up his hand. He ran his fingers down Greg's face, and kissed him. Greg smiled.  
"Hey," said Nick.  
"I'm so sorry," said Greg, welling up.  
"Hey," said Nick, putting his hand on Greg's cheek. "It's okay"  
Greg sniffed.  
"Listen to me," said Nick. "You're going to be just fine"  
"You?" asked Greg.  
"I'm okay," said Nick. "I was just so worried about you"  
Tears rolled down Greg's cheek, and Nick gently wiped them away, which just made Greg cry more.  
"Baby," said Nick. "It's okay. Get some sleep"  
"Stay with me," said Greg.  
"I'm not going anywhere," said Nick, running his hand over Greg's eyes so his eyelids closed. "I'm right here"  
Greg smiled slightly. "I love you so much"  
"I love you too," said Nick, smiling. He was happy. Greg was going to be okay, and that was all he needed to know. He found it hard to come to terms with the fact that their attackers couldn't be found, but he took comfort in that he still had Greg, the love of his life. Eight days after his attack, Greg was allowed out of hospital. Nick took him home, and stayed with him. A couple of weeks later, Greg was fit enough to go back to work. The night before, Nick took Greg out for a walk. They walked up a big hill, and sat down on top. Nick lay back on the soft grass, and Greg rested his head on Nick's chest. He stared up at the sky.  
"You see it?" said Nick.  
Greg smiled. "It's the moon"  
"It's a full moon," said Nick.  
"It's beautiful," said Greg.  
"I thought you'd like it," said Nick.  
"Thank you," said Greg.

END 


End file.
